"Happily Ever After" is the eleventh episode of season 6 and the 114th episode overall. The episode aired on April 6, 2010 in the United States. The episode focuses on Desmond who is kidnapped and brought to the Island by Charles Widmore for a very important experiment. In the flash-sideways, Desmond, Widmore's most trusted employee, is sent to keep tabs on a rock star, who is slated to play with Widmore's musician son, Daniel. As in the episode "Ab Aeterno", very little of the main story arc progresses, and the episode contains a very extended uninterrupted flash-sideways sequence.

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Desmond is seen looking at the arrivals and departures for Oceanic Airlines. A fellow passenger passes by and tells him that their luggage can be found on carousel 4. At the carousel, Desmond sees a very pregnant Claire and helps her remove her luggage from the belt. As Desmond exits the airport lobby he informs Claire that she will have a boy. At a shocked exclamation from Claire, Desmond revises his statement to say " I'll bet it's a boy".

Desmond's driver George Minkowski meets him at the end of the airport walkway. Taking Desmond's luggage, George offers Desmond his counsel for dining and various leisure activities, including female companionship. Desmond indicates that he isn't interested in anything but work, and George takes him to the office. At the office Charles Widmore is apparently very glad to see Desmond, his most valued employee. They are interrupted by a brief phone call, in which Charles apparently wants to get someone out of jail. After he hangs up, he explains to Desmond that a rock star is supposed to be playing at a charity event with his son, Daniel and this rock star overdosed and was arrested. He assigns Desmond the task of minding the rock star and keep him out of trouble until after the event. Desmond takes the assignment and Widmore shares a glass MacCutcheon Whisky with Desmond.

Desmond arrives at the police station to pick up Charlie Pace who pointedly ignores Desmond and walks across the street disregarding traffic, and the angry shouts and honking horns. He enters a bar called "Jax". Desmond catches up to Charlie inside the bar and orders the same drink that Charlie is having. Charlie asks if Desmond has ever been in love. When Desmond dismisses the question with a deflective response, Charlie indicates the seriousness of his question. He follows up by recounting an experience he had during the flight they shared the previous week. He explains how he saw a vision of love (obviously describing Claire Littleton) immediately before succumbing to his heroin overdose.

Desmond offers Charlie a choice: Continue down the destructive path he's on and watch his music career evaporate, or play at the charity show and enjoy the benefits that comes with.

In the car, Charlie offers Desmond a choice: Learn exactly what Charlie means, or get out of the car.

Confused, Desmond asks what he meant by that, at which point Charlie grabs the steering wheel, and the car veers off the road and into the water. As the car sinks, Desmond unfastens his seatbelt, and attempts to release Charlie's as well. When he is unable to immediately release Charlie, Desmond swims to the surface for a breath. Diving back under the water to the car, he swims to Charlie's door and as he fumbles with the handle, Charlie suddenly faces Desmond and presses his left palm against the window. Desmond has a flash to the scene shown in the episode "Through the Looking Glass" when Charlie delivered a message to Desmond by writing on his hand "NOT PENNYS BOAT" and showing it to him through glass. He then opens the door and swims Charlie and himself to safety.

We cut to a scene in the hospital, where a doctor is examining Desmond and asking him a series of questions. Desmond hesitates when she asks if he has had hallucinations. The doctor indicates that she wants to perform an MRI on Desmond, and he protests, indicating that he needs to find Charlie immediately. At the doctor's insistence, Desmond complies and agrees to the MRI. As he is inside the MRI unit, Desmond has a panic attack in response to a flood of memories from his "alternate" life with Penny. He presses his panic button, and the MRI technician extracts him from the unit. Desmond jumps up and leaves to find Charlie.

Looking for Charlie, Desmond encounters Jack and asks for his help. Jack, recognizing Desmond from Flight 815 recalls that Desmond was next to him on the plane. At this point, Charlie comes running down the hallway being chased by an orderly. Desmond joins the pursuit and catches Charlie in a nearby waiting room. Desmond confronts Charlie about trying to kill him, which Charlie denies. He says that he was not trying to kill Desmond, but rather show him something. Desmond demands to see Charlie's hand, where he had seen the cryptic message about Penny. Charlie realizes that Desmond saw something and demanded to know what it was. Desmond responded by asking who Penny is. Charlie indicated that he did not know, but makes it clear that he has decided not to perform with Daniel and instructs Desmond to go find this Penny.

Desmond calls Charles Widmore to explain the circumstances with Charlie Pace. Widmore expresses disappointment that Desmond cannot do the job he was given and orders Desmond to go and explain to Mrs. Widmore what happened, implying that she would be angry and her anger would be fierce. This is reinforced by George who wishes him luck. In the courtyard of a museum, Desmond finds Eloise Widmore preparing for a charity banquet. She is fussing over silverware placement, demonstrating that she is very persnickety. As Desmond introduces himself, her demeanor changes as she greets him warmly and remarks that they should have been introduced long since. Finding a charming lady rather than the ornery perfectionist he was expecting, he broke the news of Charlie Pace to her. Rather than growing angry at the news she dismisses it as unimportant, barely acknowledging it at all.

Showing himself out, Desmond overhears several hosts discussing the guest list. He hears mention of the name "Penny" and asks to see the list. Eloise grows very agitated at this and refuses to allow Desmond to see the guest list as it's confidential. When he explains that he's a close confidant of Mr. Widmore and is entrusted with confidential information, he is coldly derided by Eloise. Taking Desmond aside, she reminds him that he has everything he ever wanted. A life with no commitments, a powerful job that provides travel all over the world, and wealth - and most of all he has the approval of her husband. When he inquires again about the list, she cryptically tells him that he's not ready yet.

Returning to his car, George offers him a drink. As he tries to decide where to go, Daniel approaches and knocks on the window, telling Desmond that they need to talk. Desmond tries to apologize for the Charlie situation, and like his mother, Daniel barely acknowledges it. Daniel instead begins to talk about love at first sight, explaining that he experienced it when he saw a beautiful redhead who works at the museum. Daniel went on to say that later he derived some extremely complex quantum mechanics equations. He indicated to Desmond that he didn't understand the equations himself, since he's a musician, not a mathemetician. However, a friend of his is a mathemetician, and he told Daniel that only someone who had spent a lifetime studying physics could begin to understand those equations. Daniel told Desmond to consider the possibility that something catastrophic was about to happen, and the only way to prevent the catastrophe would be through a massive release of energy - like setting off a nuclear bomb.

Desmond wryly asks if Daniel was planning to blow up a nuclear bomb. Daniel theorizes that this life wasn't meant to be, and there was another life where they "changed things." He finishes by explaining to Desmond that he doesn't want to detonate a nuclear bomb - because he is pretty sure that he already has. Uncomfortable, Desmond tries to end the conversation. Daniel asks why Desmond is looking for Penny. Desmond explains that he does not know. He continues by telling Daniel that he doesn't even know if "Penny" exists. Daniel surprises Desmond by telling him that Penny is his half-sister, and he knows right where to find her.

Desmond finds Penny performing a tour de stade in the same stadium where Jack and Desmond were shown doing the same thing as shown in the episode "Man of Science, Man of Faith". When she stops running, Desmond approaches her and introduces himself. As they shake hands, Desmond passes out.

After Desmond regains consciousness, Penny asks him if they'd met before. Desmond indicates that he's sure he would've remembered that. He then asks her to join him for coffee. She agrees to meet him for coffee in one hour. Returning to his car, Desmond, quite content, asks George to procure the manifest for Oceanic Flight 815, because he needs to show them all something.

Following the events shown in the episode "The Package", Desmond is brought to the infirmary at the Hydra Station and brought back to consciousness by Zoe. Desmond immediately begins calling out for Penny, and Charles Widmore enters and explains Desmond's situation. Irate that he's been returned to the Island against his will, Desmond attacks Widmore with thie pole holding his IV. After having Desmond restrained, Charles angrily points out that the Island is not done with Desmond yet. Charles leaves, and encounters Jin who asks what Desmond is doing back. Rather than explain, Charles tells him that he'll show Jin, and indicates to Zoe that he intends to test Desmond immediately despite Zoe's protests.

Zoe leads Jin to an aging and dilapidated control room of the testing facility. Zoe relays Charles demands, and although everyone agrees that they are not ready, they conduct a pre-test. The pre-test fails, and technicians and engineers immediately seek a resolution to the problem. A tech discovers the problem, and throws the switch to conduct the pre-test again, neglecting the fact that there's another technician still in the testing chamber. The tech in the chamber is overwhelmed by an intense electromagnetic field, which torches him alive. At this point Desmond is dragged into the testing chamber and strapped into a chair, despite his struggling. Charles apologizes to Desmond, but assures him that everything will be fine.

Back in the control room, Widmore calms Jin by explaining that Desmond is the only person to have survived a "catastrophic electromagnetic event" and survive. He continues by explaining that they must know if Desmond can do it again or everyone will die. Charles throws the switch, and they watch on the closed circuit television as Desmond is consumed by the electromagnetic field.

After an extended flash-sideways sequence, Demond regains consciousness. According to Widmore, Desmond was unconscious for only a few seconds, although Desmond's visit to the alternate reality implies that he perceived a much longer period of time. Widmore tries to explain why the experiment they just conducted was vitally important and Desmond's apparent immunity (or at least resistance - his face shows signs of slight burning). An extremly calm and apparently content Desmond interrupts Widmore and explains that he understands and he is completely is willing to do whatever is necessary

As Desmond is being escorted back to the Hydra Station base, Sayid attacks Desmond's escorts. He kills two of them and, at gunpoint, tells Zoe to run. When they are alone, Sayid informs Desmond that those people are extremely dangerous and they need to leave. Desmond appears equally content with Sayid as he was with Zoe, and the two continue on.

This episode is unusual, in that it ends in a flash sequence. The only other episode this season to end in a flash-sideways was "LA X, Part 1".

Daniel is heard playing Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu. This is the same piece that he played as a young boy, as shown in the episode "The Variable". It is also the piece that is played by Jack's son, David, during his recital, as seen in the episode "Lighthouse".

The main Island, nor anyone on it, do not appear in this episode. Original timeline scenes take place on Hydra Island, and Alternate timeline scenes occur in Los Angeles.

Widmore sharing his MacCutcheon Whiskey with Desmond is an ironic reference to the episode "Flashes Before Your Eyes" when Charles told Desmond that he's not worth sharing his whiskey.

The segue between the two timelines toward the end of the episode do not feature the usual airplane sound effect.